Rudy Tanzi chats with Bodhinatha on the flight from Australia to New Zealand a few days ago. Our photo documentary of the journey continues below and we will offer short segments daily.

Meanwhile these photos are behind real time and the actual new is that the Innersearch is drawing to a close… Yesterday was the last day of classes and today was a long travel day from North to South New Zealand by train through spectacular scenary.



Announcement:
2006-7 and 2007-8 Panchangams
Now Online!

It was a quiet Sun One beginning to our new phase. The crane came today to lift a few stones. And the publications team is very focused on Hinduism Today.

Thai Pongal fell during our retreat and it was celebrated in the traditional manner by our silpis at the patrai, the blacksmith’s shed. The pot of milk-rice is on the fire in the blacksmith’s forge…

One of the monks joked this is the only pongal fire which could either boil the rice or melt the pot!

Our wonderful temple building team!

Kumar turns the hand rotating bellows. The beauty of old fashioned tools: they rarely break down, they do not require electricity or gasoline, they do make any pollution.

Adding some sugar now…

cardamom and spices…

The duck Sambandar is on hand to watch and partake of anything we may offer.

Arumugaswami breaks the coconut.

The rice has over flowed and next, the puja… done by Shanmugam Sthapati. He offers the flame to a picture of Gurudeva on the altar at left.

Passing the flame…

Yoginathaswami also offers arati to Gurudeva…

Limes are offered and then cast to the four directions, a ceremony to eliminate inauspicious elements from the coming year.

At the Sydney airport ready to head off to Christchurch New Zealand…

It was an early start for us today, departing Dooralong at 5:30am. a 2-hour drive took us to the Sydney airport.

The flight into New Zealand was spectacular as we flew across the Southern Alps.

We first landed in Christchurch in the south island then took another flight from there to Queenstown.

Amazing scenery from the plane.

Lots of farmland with these tall windbreaks,

Finally….we land in Queenstown

Boarding our bus…

A 2.5 hour drive through some beautiful countryside took us to Te Anau. Along side the road were a few of the country’s 40 million sheep. There are 4.1 million people.

Our hotel in Te Anau